Washington State’s Senate Joint Resolution 8204 (SJR 8204) is a contentious proposal seeking to amend the state constitution with sweeping language on "reproductive freedom and gender-affirming care." This amendment’s expansive scope raises serious concerns about its implications—far exceeding the already significant protections already in state law.
This amendment isn’t just about abortion or contraception; it’s a Pandora’s box of undefined rights and unchecked state deference to individual choices, no matter how extreme.
Unlike Washington Democrats’ last proposal to enshrine abortion into the state constitution with SJR 8202 (2023), SJR 8204 adds "assisted reproductive technology" (think surrogacy, IVF, and beyond) without limits or clarification. This vagueness invites legal battles over what qualifies—potentially obligating the state to fund or protect experimental procedures.
As predicted, the democrats strategically packaged the new amendment with "gender-affirming care decisions" as a constitutional right. This encompasses hormone treatments, surgeries, and other interventions without any age restrictions or parental consent requirements.
Washington already has robust abortion protections—codified in law since 1970’s Referendum 20 and reinforced by Initiative 120. And in 2022, the legislature passed HB 1851 the “Affirm Washington Abortion Access” law. And then in 2023 the legislature passed HB 1469 with bipartisan support, enacting the “Shield Law” and defining “protected healthcare” as abortion and “gender affirming care.” Also in 2023 was SB 5599 which allowed children who wanted to access these “protected healthcare” services to do so without consent or notification of their parents and allows them to be housed in a shelter or host home. SJR 8204 goes far beyond these bills, embedding untested, expansive rights that could destabilize families and healthcare systems.
TAKE ACTION!
In order for SJR 8204 to pass through the legislature it would require a 2/3 vote. If every republican votes no, this bill cannot pass the legislature and advance to the ballot for a vote of the people. Our action link below has more details on SJR 8204, along with the email addresses for every Washington State Republican Senator (the bill is a senate bill, so we are not including House Representatives on this email). We’ve included a sample message but encourage you to write your own.
Please share this information with other citizens so they can take action too!
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